Poor sleep quality triggers resistant hypertension in BP patients

For people who already have high blood pressure, insomnia can have serious consequences, a new study has claimed. Researchers studied the sleeping patterns of 234 people with high blood pressure. Most participants slept six or fewer hours, and those who also reported poor sleep quality were twice as likely to have resistant hypertension as those who slept well. Blood pressure is considered resistant if you are taking three or more blood pressure medications but still have a blood pressure reading higher than 140/90 mmHg. The researcher found that women were more likely to report lower sleep quality than men. They concluded that those with high blood pressure were more likely to have sleep problems, and poor sleep quality in high blood pressure patients was associated with resistant hypertension. The findings of the study were presented at the American Heart Association’s High Blood Pressure Research 2012 Scientific Sessions. ANI